Why i can't keep stony corals?

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I have 2 blades Aquamedic light 2x54w my tank is 50 gal, the spectrum is solid, the BTA is in this tank for over 7 months.

No, I've never tested calcium and magnesium, both times I was told that water changes will be sufficient for those small frags, and that they are extremely hardy.

I'm not familiar with this light, but it looks like 108 watts over a 50 gallon tank? In comparison, I have a 100 watt light over a 30 gallon tank.... My 40 gallon has 150 watt MH plus 2 OR3 bars..... Give the corals more light and they will grow.

 

[Dburr1014]

Yes, but I don't thing that No3 is the problem, and from what I've read these numbers are not that high. Because like I said before, these corals lived and started growing almost immediately after I introduced them for around 2 months, and then all of a sudden they started losing tissue and died. There were no swings in NO3 and PO4.

NO3 I don't think is the problem either, PO4 is by far more important than NO3. Here in lies the problem.

 

[SPSDomination]

After reading through the thread i’m gonna guess calcium depletion and lack of light. Try to get your hands on a par meter and see where you’re at. You probably have far less than you think.

 

[Dom]

I have 2 blades Aquamedic light 2x54w my tank is 50 gal, the spectrum is solid, the BTA is in this tank for over 7 months.

No, I've never tested calcium and magnesium, both times I was told that water changes will be sufficient for those small frags, and that they are extremely hardy.

Where lights are concerned, they must provide enough power to reach the deepest part of the tank. So I would look at your PAR at the deepest part of the tank.

Water changes as a means of replenishing elements consumed by the tank will work with frags. But as they grow, your tank's consumption of these elements may exceed what you're putting back in the tank from water changes. It may be time for you to begin dosing.

 

[Gligor]

Anemones release chemicals into the water to gain room as well as stinging ( chemical warfare)
Those nems in your tank look quite large.

Live long and prosper :)

Thank you very much. The BTA doubled in size since I got it, that's one of the reason I'm going to upgrade to a larger tank.

How often? If it's 24/7, stop. Take it out for a couple weeks.

Why are you using this? Can it be that's cleaning your tank to well? I would shut it off for a couple months and try again.

Again, 24/7? Take them out for a week.

This is the bottom end for coral survivability. Can you bump it up? I suppose if you do all the things I suggested, it will come up on its own.

Is that cayano i see? That is usually caused by nutrient in balance. Which you have.

I can't tell you how dirty my tank really is. Not in nutrients, just dirty.
My po4 is between 0.1 and 0.2 and no3 is normally zero. My fish feed my coral so I have some.
Dirty meaning, I do socks when I clean my sand bed, it gets all the particles that go in the overflow.
I don't remember last time I did carbon. I ran out last year when I switched tanks. I bought some and been meaning to put some in the sump but I've been busy. Maybe this weekend I'll get to it.
Yeah, my tanks dirty. My glass is dirty. My wife made a mess around my tank with trying to get rid of Christmas stuff, she has a lot and I love the effort. Sorry to wander.

Just let the tank do it's thing, the ocean is NOT clean. Why do we strive to make our tank clean? I don't get it.

My resume, last nights pics, unfiltered, dirty glass and all.

No that isn't cyano on the sandbed, it's either dino or diatoms i haven't tested with microscope, that's why i run uvc and activated carbon. I also run the carbon for the anemone and the zoas and palythoas.
My setup is very different, I have canister filter full with bio matrix, and I've made acrylic box inside the tank. In the box is the skimmer, the Heather, and the inlet for the canister filter. I also have hang-on with the filter sock and the activated carbon.

After reading through the thread i’m gonna guess calcium depletion and lack of light. Try to get your hands on a par meter and see where you’re at. You probably have far less than you think.

For now I'm not going to mess with the light, until i upgrade to a 180gal. I will do something about the calcium and magnesium and see how it goes.

 

[Paulandreti]

High nutrients and poor lightning seems to me could be the cause, as posted before, taking No3 down to 5 - 10 would be helpful, and if no changes in lights are coming, maybe placing them as close to the surface as possible, calcium and magnesium could give you a surprize!

Good luck

 

[Science/G]

Check your par, test for Calcium and Magnesium first, and maybe even spring for an ICP test. Get nitrates down under 20 and phosphates up a bit.

 

[Reef Puncher]

I don't feel ready to start experimenting with chemical removal of NO3 or PO4 yet, and to be honest I don't really want to, because I think that I'm going to create more problems. This is my first reef tank, so I don't have the experience as well.
My goal is to accomplish balanced and stable system with as little as possible chemical filtration. In the following months I'm going to upgrade to 180gal because I have a blue tang and triggerfish as well. so that will be my next challenge. I'm going to make a refugium to keep the parameters in check.
Btw, the store that I'm getting my corals from has NO3 - 30ppm, and PO4 - 0.2, and the corals are thriving and growing like crazy. The guy doesn't even use RO/DI water in his shop...

The tank has high, mid and low flow area, I spent a lot of time perfecting it. I don't know the PAR, but I'm sure that I have the correct spectrum for optimal coral growth. I modified the LEDs on my lights to hit Chlorophyll A, Chlorophyll C, and Peridinin.
The calcium is unchecked...

I live in North Macedonia, there is no PAR meter here... I go to Greece to buy fish corals and everything else...

Amazon sells a good par meter for just over $100. but a cheaper option is there is a free app on your phone called "photone", its very accurate if you spend the $7 to get the blue LED analyzer option. The only thing is if your phone isnt 100% waterproof, you would have to put it in either a good ziplock bag, or better yet, a cheap phone underwater picture bag. they sell for like $10. then all you do is tap a small piece of regular white paper over the top of front facing camera put the camera in a waterproof bag and wham. its highly accurate. to within +/- 5 par to the expensive models. seems like a bit of work to tape and put phone in a bag but its really not, and you can do it for $7. everyone should know their par, otherwise your guessing. spectrum is only part of the puzzle, the rest is par.
also, send off for an ICP. that will really tell you what the problem is. something is killing your corals, you should eliminate all sources.

 

[Gligor]

Amazon sells a good par meter for just over $100. but a cheaper option is there is a free app on your phone called "photone", its very accurate if you spend the $7 to get the blue LED analyzer option. The only thing is if your phone isnt 100% waterproof, you would have to put it in either a good ziplock bag, or better yet, a cheap phone underwater picture bag. they sell for like $10. then all you do is tap a small piece of regular white paper over the top of front facing camera put the camera in a waterproof bag and wham. its highly accurate. to within +/- 5 par to the expensive models. seems like a bit of work to tape and put phone in a bag but its really not, and you can do it for $7. everyone should know their par, otherwise your guessing. spectrum is only part of the puzzle, the rest is par.
also, send off for an ICP. that will really tell you what the problem is. something is killing your corals, you should eliminate all sources.

Amazon is not avaliable in my country... But thank you very much for the app suggestion, i will definitely give it a try.
Honestly I'm not going to go in the "weeds" and chase numbers.
From what I've learned, I can assume that lack of calcium and magnesium may be the primary problem.
I keep 2 anemones, the large bta in the middle of the tank, and another one at the bottom. It's not like the anemones are the easiest thing to keep.
I have zoas at the bottom that are thriving and not extending at all witch means that they don't lack light. Also my other zoas are placed just below the middle of the tank, and that's the highest point that they can take, i tried moving them little higher, and they start to shrink.

 

[TeeSquared1214]

I had the exact same problem as you with SPS. Everything was good for 2 months, then bam dying monti in my tank. I tested calcium, magnesium, etc. all of my nutrients were too low. Luckily I was able to save my tye dye acan enchinata, and it’s on the rebound. Par is important, but if it was growing and now it’s not/dead, and you didn’t change lighting then it’s likely not that, but you never know for certain unless you have a PAR meter or something that measures it. Nitrates and phosphates are always up for debate within a certain range. Everyone’s tank is different and what works for some likely won’t for others. But generally we all fall within the same general range of parameters when we’re successful.

All in all, check calcium and magnesium. Then check lighting and flow. Then check into lowering nitrates MAYBE, I would use a skimmer for this if you have the space. While the skimmer won’t directly reduce nitrates, it’ll slow down its production based on my limited knowledge.

 

[Gligor]

I had the exact same problem as you with SPS. Everything was good for 2 months, then bam dying monti in my tank. I tested calcium, magnesium, etc. all of my nutrients were too low. Luckily I was able to save my tye dye acan enchinata, and it’s on the rebound. Par is important, but if it was growing and now it’s not/dead, and you didn’t change lighting then it’s likely not that, but you never know for certain unless you have a PAR meter or something that measures it. Nitrates and phosphates are always up for debate within a certain range. Everyone’s tank is different and what works for some likely won’t for others. But generally we all fall within the same general range of parameters when we’re successful.

All in all, check calcium and magnesium. Then check lighting and flow. Then check into lowering nitrates MAYBE, I would use a skimmer for this if you have the space. While the skimmer won’t directly reduce nitrates, it’ll slow down its production based on my limited knowledge.

Thank you, I was thinking the same thing as you said. If the lighting was too low and the no3 too high, the coral won't grow for 2 months, then die.
I've seen tank with ridiculously high NO3-80 and PO4-0.6 that was full with eyphilia, chalice, and montipora, and they thrive in that environment.
First I'm going to test for calcium and magnesium as soon as i get the test kits, and i will send an update.